


Scary Stories

by astudyinfic



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Crack Fic, F/F, Gen, Halloween, M/M, and magnus, ghost stories don't work in the shadow world, just ask Alec, so they have to find other things that are scary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-25 07:25:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16192874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: Halloween is the quietest night in the Shadow World and with nothing else to do, they reluctantly agree to let Simon and Clary tell ghost stories.But ghost stories really aren't scary when you fight demons for a living.  Other things, however, definitely are.





	Scary Stories

"It was a dark and stormy night..."  Simon dropped his voice, speaking soft and deep but it was all Alec could do not to roll his eyes.  Why Simon and Clary thought it would be fun to tell scary stories, he had no idea and yet, here they were.  

The first phrase had his brow furrowing and Alec interrupted, "Are there nights where it isn't dark?"  Because saying it was dark and night was redundant, wasn't it?

"In Alaska, I think."  

Alec raised a brow at the strangely-mundane vampire. "This takes place in Alaska?"  Because otherwise why would Simon be telling them about the dark?

Simon shook his head, sighing, and Alec knew he was annoyed, but he also knew Simon was too afraid of him to say anything about that.  "No, in New York."

"So why did you tell us it was dark?"

Jace and Izzy tried not to laugh and Magnus wasn't even hiding it.  Clary attempted to look angry on Simon's behalf but even her lips were curling up at the corner.  "Because that's how the story goes!"

"Then this story is awful already.  Details like that aren't necessary since you've already explained them with the other word."

"Are you going to let me tell the story or not?" Simon huffed and Alec opened his mouth to tell him not but Magnus elbowed him in the ribs before he could say anything.  And if Magnus wanted to listen to the stupid story, then Alec would sit by his side through the whole thing. 

Halloween was a strange time for Shadowhunters.  The one night a year where mundanes pretended to believe in the things that were already all around them.  The demons almost always took the night off, leading most nephilim to think there was some truth to all the Halloween superstitions.  It also meant that they got to take the night off too, though Alec knew the Institute would call if anything happened.

So they were at the loft, a fire burning in the fireplace and the six of them crowded around, telling stories in the dark since Clary and Simon insisted it was a tradition.

Confident that Alec wouldn't interrupt again, Simon continued, "The young woman walked home, her textbooks clutched tightly to her chest as she hurried down the otherwise abandoned street.  To anyone watching, she would have appeared vulnerable and alone, but they didn't know, didn't see the way her eyes glowed emerald, even in the blackened night."

"Is this Maia's story?  I think she was talking about this the other night," Izzy asked.  Her girlfriend was stuck at work, so Alec knew his sister was grateful for the distraction impromptu story time provided.

Sighing, Simon dropped his face to his hands.  “No, it isn’t Maia’s story. It’s just a story.  Will you let me finish?”

Izzy gestured for him to continue and Simon nodded gratefully.

“She walked with purpose, a woman who held no fear in the world, knew her place in it and made no apologies for who she was.”

“I still think it sounds like Maia,” Izzy grumbled and the rest nodded as well.

Growling, Simon ran his hand through his hair, looking far more upset than Alec could remember ever seeing him.  “It’s not Maia! It’s not anyone you know! It isn’t even set in the Shadow World. This is a mundane story, one I knew long before you all came crashing into our lives.”

“We came crashing into yours?” Alec asked, only refraining from yelling because Magnus’s thumb was making soft circles on his thigh and it was impossible to be too angry when Magnus was that close.  “Pretty sure it was the other way around.”

Simon’s fangs popped in annoyance and his hand snapped up to cover his face.  “Fine, you think you can tell a scary story better, you try it.” 

Frowning, Alec tried to come up with a story that would actually be scary.  Considering what he did for a living, the world he grew up in, the things that could be considered scary to most people were a hazard of the job for him.  He wanted to do this though, to prove he could at least be scarier than Simon, of all people. 

A grin spread slowly across his face and he saw concern in Magnus’s eyes.  His boyfriend knew him well enough that he could probably see what was coming, but loved him enough to let him do it anyway.  “I can tell a much scarier story than a green-eyed student walking home from class.”

Alec dropped his voice, looking at each person in the room before he said, “The night was calm, much like this one.  The three Shadowhunters trailed behind the demon, determined to stop it before it could drain the blood from anyone else.  Hidden from anyone without the Sight, they slipped into a club owned by the most wonderful man to ever live.”

“Thank you, darling.  You’re not so bad yourself.”  Magnus chuckled and kissed Alec’s cheek. 

“As they worked, they didn’t notice that they themselves were being followed.  Behind a heavy curtain, they fought for their lives and the lives of everyone in the club, but everything was almost for naught when a woman with pumpkin-like hair walked in and tried to save the demon.  The DEMON. When the demons were vanquished - no thanks to her - the leader turned to see who dared interrupt them and his blood ran cold. In front of him stood his worst nightmare and he knew nothing would ever be the same.”

Magnus, Jace, and Izzy all did their best to hide their laughter while Simon glared and Clary appeared as if she couldn’t decide whether to laugh or yell.  “I am far from your worst nightmare. Remember when you almost married Lydia?” Clary pointed out and Alec hated that she was right. She grinned triumphantly and he hated her again.

“And then,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken at all, “the orange-haired menace brought with her an even bigger problem...”

“I’m going to stop you right there, darling,” Magnus said, taking Alec’s hand and squeezing it lightly.  “I think you’ve lost track of the point here. Can I try my hand at a scary story?”

“I bet you’ve seen some horrifying things, Magnus,” Simon agreed eagerly, probably knowing he was about to make an appearance in Alec’s story.

Alec knew some of the things his boyfriend had been through in his life and those were traumatic, but nothing Magnus would share as a scary story.  So he had as little idea where this was going as the rest of them. 

“This is a story of love and obstacles and ghosts,” Magnus started.  “A demon fell in love with an angel and it took a ghost to give him the courage to get the man he loved.”

Alec frowned.  A demon fell in love with an angel.  That was something Magnus liked to say to him all the time.  About them. But a ghost? “I’ve never heard about the ghost.  There’s no such thing as ghosts.” At least not like mundanes thought of them.  

“Oh, I’ve told you about it.  When Ragnor visited me the night before your wedding?”  

“Ragnor is not a ghost, Magnus.”

“He was that night.”

Which made no sense.  None at all because, “We had dinner with him last week!  He’s not dead! He can’t be a ghost if he’s not dead!”

“Ah, yes, that. Long story.”  Magnus fiddled with his ear cuff and Alec wanted to know the rest of that  _ long story _ right then and there. 

So did Clary, who blurted out, “Ragnor’s ALIVE?!?”

“Oh, sorry, Biscuit.  I did mean to tell you.  He was faking it so that you would leave him alone.  Not very fond of nephilim I’m afraid, though he’s warmed up to Alexander quite nicely.”  He chuckled and shook his head. “I can’t believe you thought a simple Shax demon could take out Ragnor Fell.”

Clary opened and closed her mouth several times, obviously processing the latest chain of events.  Alec laughed, staring at his boyfriend, “So this ‘scary story’ is really about you being lectured by Ragnor?”

“Can you think of anything scarier?”

And if he really thought about it, Ragnor lecturing him about his failings in life would be pretty terrifying.  “No, I think you have a point.”

“I love that you understand me.”

As they stared at one another, Alec distantly heard Jace clear his throat.  “And, I think that is our cue to go. Good times, everyone. Let’s do it again sometime.  Maybe.”

They all hurried for the door, knowing how Magnus and Alec got when they looked at one another like that.  The last thing either of them heard before the door closed behind their family and friends was Clary demanding, “Are we all going to ignore the fact that Ragnor faked his death to avoid me?  Are we?”

And yes, at least Magnus and Alec definitely were.


End file.
